Lord Dufferin, besides the conquest of Burmah and the forti-
fication of the North-West frontier, has performed in India, a considerable political service. He has greatly diminished the kind of tension always existing between the British Government and the Mahommedans. The Services prefer Hindoos, who have less independence of manner, and the Mahommedans do not adapt themselves so readily to the English method of education. They were, therefore, falling out of the public service, and Lord Dufferin perceiving that, has made it an object of his reign to induce them to enter it. He has encouraged them successfully to alter their mode of education ; has made many Mussulman appointments ; has learned Persian himself, which they consider a compliment, Persian being the old Court tongue of the Mogul Empire ; and has alluded to them in speech after speech with friendliness and consideration. The result has been much manifestation of attachment to himself, and a display of unexpected loyalty, Mussulman gentlemen taking repeated occasions to say that they arc opposed to representative institutions in India, and that as between the Queen and any native government—except, of course, their own—they intend to stand by the Queen.. As the lltIahommeda.ns form incomparably the most powerful single class throughout India, South as well as North, this new amenity of tone, even if it does not go very deep, is most satisfactory.
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